QuikPod Handheld Convertible Tripod
From Fromm Works Inc
The world's first extendable tripod! Allows user to take a picture of themself posing with the built-in mirror, extending the Quikpod held at arms length upto three feet away and firing the camera with the self timer. Also great using the Quikpod with the camera's movie mode. And what a neat way to be included in a video for U tube!, Retracted size 7.5 inches - Extended Size 18.5 inches
- Brand: Quik Pod
- Model: QP-EHHT
- Dimensions: 8.00" h x 1.00" w x 1.00" l, .25 pounds
Quik Pod Tips
I've had the Quik Pod for about 6 months and it really does work as advertised. Here are a few tips to help you use it more effectively:
* Leave the tripod legs attached all the time: This lets you extend your reach even more by folding the tripod legs inward and holding them instead of the handle when taking a shot. You can also quickly fold them out and set the Quik Pod on a table or the ground to take even longer shots of yourself (or simply to steady the camera so you can use a slower shutter speed, no flash, and/or lower ISO setting for more natural low-light shots).
* Make sure your camera is in the right focusing mode: Many cameras will immediately set the focus when you press the shutter button, even when the self-timer is on. This can lead to out-of-focus shots with the Quik Pod, since you must press the shutter button before extending the camera away from you. If your camera does this, try changing to "continuous focus" mode (which will often be set if you choose the camera's "Sports" scene mode) -- this will cause your camera to focus continually right up to the moment the shutter fires.
* More on focusing: You can also help keep your photos in focus without using continuous focus mode by setting a smaller aperture (higher "f-stop" number) using the camera's manual or "aperture priority" mode. Smaller apertures give you greater depth of field, which means that more of the picture will be in focus. I've taken quite a few shots with large apertures where the camera mistakenly focused on something in the background, so that my face was out of focus. Using smaller apertures helps prevent this problem and they also keep more of what's behind you in focus (which is desirable if there is something scenic in the background). Of course, if your camera has the new face detection feature that tries to recognize and focus on the faces it "sees", then this will be less of a problem for you.
* Use it as a tripod more often: If you retract the Quik Pod to its shortest length and use it as a tabletop tripod, it is very sturdy and will allow you to shoot great photos in low light by turning off your flash and letting the camera use a slower shutter speed. This eliminates any "shake" that might be caused by your hands when trying to shoot handheld without a flash, which can cause blurry photos. Of course, this is less of a problem if your camera has an image stabilizer feature, but a tripod makes low light shots even better regardless of your camera's features.
* Hold it low to capture a toddler's point of view: The world can look very different to someone 30 inches tall. Take some shots holding your Quik Pod down and away from you to capture the "land of giants" view that a small child sees without having to squat or kneel down. You can even let the camera be upside down when you take such photos -- just flip them on the computer after you download them from your camera.
Enjoy your Quik Pod!
Not impressed
I had high hopes for the Quik Pod but was rather let down once it arrived. It works okay. Does what it says it will do. But that's about it.
I was hoping for a quality piece that one would be excited to receive as a gift and this just doesn't seem like the quality item I was hoping for. I'm referring not only to the looks of the Quik Pod but to its feel, as well.
It just looks and feels like a lightweight piece of cheap plastic that probably won't last too long. The levering action is not smooth. It's somewhat difficult to retract. It rattles around when you hold it. And when I set it up as a free-standing tripod the side weight of my average sized point-and-shoot digital camera nearly toppled the thing. Of course, the ball mount can easily adjust to any number number of positions so I can still align the camera for a proper shot but this bendy piece of plastic looks a bit like the Leaning Tower of Pisa trying to hold up just a bit more than it can handle.
Actually, the attachable legs are really the only thing in the whole package that even seem to me to be of decent quality. The various pieces of metal and aluminum seem well-crafted, well-fit, and solid. Why can't the main product, itself, have been manufactured in a similar way?
I wanted to be impressed but I'm not. Purchased one as a sample to decide whether to buy a handful more as gifts and I almost feel embarrassed just giving this one away. Also? It was my understanding that the Quik Pod Pro came not only with the attachable legs but with a bottle-top mount for mounting a camera to a water bottle. A novel idea that I was interested to try out. Perhaps I'm mistaken on this point but no such item was included in the pack I received.
The Quik Pod feels more like something I would pay $10 for than $30. Two stars, max.
Broken on second use
The second time I used the quik pod, when I tightened the swivel, the plastic broke. I feel like I just threw $25 bucks out of the window.
